College Application Essays

It didn't take much to tear us apart.
One phone call. That's all the police needed to investigate our beaten-up, shabby apartment. The smell of
recently-sprayed Raid permeated the air as my mother desperately tried to shove cockroach carcasses into the
crevices of the carpet. Her efforts were futile; the police had already noticed. I was escorted from our familiar
home into the stuffy constraints of a police car. The darkness of night engulfed the vehicle and my mother. Her...

Supplemental Essay for Dartmouth: Unique question posed by school

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My first and middle name isn't very spectacular. (blank) (blank). That's the name combination of a completely forgettable on-screen character whose entire existence relies on fetching coffee for the main actor, the actual star of the show.
There's a story behind my name that my family is fond reminding me of. Legend has it that before I was born, the doctor believed me to be male. How, you may ask? Well, apparently during my mother's ultrasound this poor, confused doctor...

Dr. Jan Williams stepped back, leaving me alone with the animal. I stood still for a second, watching the light hairs on the rat's abdomen rise and fall with each breath. As of now, the rat was alive. I just had to make sure I kept it that way.
I shot a desperate look to Dr. Williams, but he merely nodded, urging me to continue. I took a deep breath and ran my gloved finger over the rat's throat, lightly...

In the United States, private ownership of handguns ought to be banned.
A just society ought to presume consent for organ procurement from the deceased.
Unilateral military force by the United States is justified to prevent nuclear proliferation.
These are just a few of the topics I've had the pleasure debating while being a part of my high school's Speech and Debate team. Being a part of this team has introduced me to some of my very best friends who...

Supplemental Essay for USC: Issue of personal significance

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I am interested in studying neuroscience because as a child, I grew up witnessing the debilitating effects that mental illness had on my mother, who was a diagnosed schizophrenic afflicted with depression and anxiety. Since my mom was not aware of her mental illnesses, I was raised believing that her erratic behavior was completely
normal. In fact, to this day my mother still rejects the notion that she is mentally ill, because she believes that being "crazy" is abhorrent.
I...

Supplemental Essay for UMich: “Why us” school essay

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I am interested in studying at the University of Michigan's College of Literature, Science, and the Arts because of this university's unparalleled opportunities for undergraduate scientific research. I have been working alongside Dr. Jan Williams at the University of Mississippi Medical Center for two years completing scientific research aimed at slowing the progression of renal injury, and my commitment in this lab has cemented my passion for scientific discovery and my plan to become a scientific researcher.
I have had...

Supplemental Essay for JHU: “Why us” school essay

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Science has always intrigued me. As a child, instead of toying with prim, glossy-faced Barbie dolls like the other girls in my neighborhood, I ran my own experiments. Admittedly, however, my experiments were a little unique in circumstance: they all revolved around my mentally ill mother.
My mother's behavior was erratic at best. She was extremely paranoid and constantly sought validation from others. When she was denied attention, she would violently lash out. My experiments were strictly behavioral and revolved...

Supplemental Essay for Lehigh: “Why us” school essay

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Lehigh University believes that success is achieved by "work[ing] hard, smart, and intentionally," as do I. A phrase that I've often heard in classrooms is that one should "work smart, not hard" and I've always passionately disagreed. Hard work is the cornerstone of every major victory throughout history, and I appreciate that Lehigh
acknowledges this.
Moreover, I've always believed that honesty is one of the most important traits a person can have. At the end of the day, any...

Supplemental Essay for Ole Miss: Unique question posed by school

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Prompt: "What ticks you off?" The glare from my laptop strains my weary, eyeglass-laden eyes. I glance back at my empty document, thirsting for words to write themselves. Just as I am about to give up, I am momentarily blinded by a ravishing bright light. Eventually, I succumb to the darkness that follows. In the absence of light, consciousness is lost. When I awake, I find myself trapped in a barren, cream-colored room. I try to investigate, but find that...

Stability is very important to me. In my high school, I often sit listening to my classmates tease each other about their homely prepubescent looks from their shared kindergarten years. As a teenager who is attending her twelfth school, that type of permanence is a foreign concept. I began to understand the significance of stability in middle school, when my tumultuous and incessant moving through foster homes forced me to abandon the first friend I had successfully made in years....

Supplemental Essay for Stanford: Amusing anecdote

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Before you meet me, it is very important that you are prepared for one thing: I speak very fast. Sometimes my brain thinks of things faster than my mouth can keep up. The result is that I often cut myself off mid-sentence with an unrelated idea. When I’m excited, this is exacerbated ten-fold. Please just ask me to clarify if I happen to do this. However, if you are a fellow fast-talker, then you’re in luck! It seems...

Supplemental Essay for Brown: Other

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Since I am an extemporaneous debater, I keep up with current issues by reading Al Jazeera, The Guardian, The Week, The New York Times, and Wired. I also spend a lot of time on PubMed because I need to stay up to date on scientific studies that relate to my research. I frequent Khan Academy because my school stopped offering AP Calculus and I want to self-study it since Calculus and Chemistry go hand-in-hand. I also enjoy reading the blog...

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College Admissions Advice

5 adjectives that describe a typical student at my school (Feel free to elaborate!)

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From what I've garnered thus far, people at USC are spirited, intelligent, passionate, helpful, and fun. USC takes...

What set me apart from other applicants

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Honestly, my hook as being a low-income foster child and being adopted at a really late age (16) must have been a huge advantage in this process. Since my standardized testing scores aren't...

Why I declined other schools

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Fortunately I had the opportunity to choose between many great schools that I probably would have been happy at. However, from all of the schools I was accepted to, my top four choices were Emory, USC, Dartmouth, and the Honors College at Ole Miss (since I had a full ride and am in-state).
I canceled out Ole Miss because I had been on campus quite a few times for debate tournaments and journalism conventions and wasn't a fan of the atmosphere on campus. People seem to do just fine on their own but not intermingle with each other. It also...

Whether I used a private admissions counselor, and advice I received

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I didn't use a private admission counselor, and I actually didn't receive much advice, which is something that I was...

Whether I took out loans or applied for scholarships, and my advice

74 Words

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I am an independent student with 0 EFC, so I was able to receive the full amount of direct federal loans for my...

Most popular extracurricular activities at my college

8 Words

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Definitely Greek...

Post-college plans

32 Words

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I'm a pre-med student, so hopefully after I graduate I...

What I now know about my school that I never would have known prior to enrolling

52 Words

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This is something I never even considered until after I visited campus for orientation, but the...

How I chose schools to apply to

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Admittedly, my way of deciding which schools to attend are a little unorthodox. The first step in deciding where I wanted to attend college was by looking at the rankings of college online, because yes, I cared about the school's prestige and national ranking. After getting a good grasp on where the universities in American stood in regards to each other,...

My favorite course thus far, and why

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CTCS 190, aka Introduction to Cinema! Drew Casper is a genius and a revolutionary...

5 adjectives that describe a typical student at my school (Feel free to elaborate!) (USC)

61 Words

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From what I've garnered thus far, people at USC are spirited, intelligent, passionate, helpful, and fun. USC takes...

Most popular extracurricular activities at my college (USC)

8 Words

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Definitely Greek...

What I now know about my school that I never would have known prior to enrolling (USC)

52 Words

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This is something I never even considered until after I visited campus for orientation, but the...

Why I declined other schools (Dartmouth, Emory, USC, Ole Miss)

329 Words

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Fortunately I had the opportunity to choose between many great schools that I probably would have been happy at. However, from all of the schools I was accepted to, my top four choices were Emory, USC, Dartmouth, and the Honors College at Ole Miss (since I had a full ride and am in-state).
I canceled out Ole Miss because I had been on campus quite a few times for debate tournaments and journalism conventions and wasn't a fan of the atmosphere on campus. People seem to do just fine on their own but not intermingle with each other. It also...